Workflow Management System Integrating Robots

ABSTRACT

A workflow management system (WMS) coordinates, controls, and monitors item picking assets, item retrieval assets, and order packaging assets in performance of different workflows. The WMS optimizes the different workflows by assigning tasks to the different assets in a manner that minimizes overall execution time, cost, and resource utilization. Some optimizations include maximizing or prioritizing item pick rate, item packaging rate, or both. Assets integrated with the WMS and under WMS control include human workers, autonomous robots, and resources used in performance of the workflows.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Robotic automation is used to supplement humans in certain capacitiesand replace humans in other capacities more suited or more efficient forthe robots to perform. The increasing impact of robotic automation canbe seen in many fields. One such field is commerce and e-commerce, inparticular.

With respect to e-commerce, robots assist in various tasks related tocustomer order fulfillment including traversing a warehouse in order tolocate, pick, and retrieve ordered items. Robots can be more efficientin these tasks than humans because of their ability to run almostcontinuously during all hours of the day. Robots can also be configuredwith special purpose hardware and software that allows them to performtasks faster than humans or without supplemental equipment. Forinstance, robots can be configured with maps or rely on hardware sensorsto rapidly locate item locations in a vast warehouse. Robots could alsomove faster than humans, carry more items than a human, and use lifts toreach locations inaccessible by humans without a ladder as someexamples.

However, these efficiencies are dependent on proper command and controlof the robots. A robot with the fastest means of locomotion can beentirely inefficient if it is continually taking sub-optimal paths toreach a destination or is continually running into obstructions andrerouting. Robots are also inefficient if they operate independent ofone another rather than operate as a collective swarm. For example, tworobots may travel the same distance in order for each robot to retrievea different item from a common location. In this case, it would be moreefficient for the first robot to retrieve both items from the commonlocation while the second robot sets about retrieving a third item at adifferent location or performs some other tasks. As another example, itwould be more efficient for a first robot already at a first location toretrieve an item from that first location and a second robot already ata second location to retrieve an item from that second location, ratherthan have the first robot travel to the second location to retrieve anitem and the second robot travel to the first location to retrieve anitem.

These command and control problems are exacerbated as more robots aredeployed in the same site and the robots are used in performing similaror non-distinct tasks. Isolated command and control of individual robotscannot optimize for resource sharing and other conflicts thatundoubtedly occur once the robots set about their individual tasks.

For these and other reasons, a workflow management system is needed toprovide coordinated command and control for a plurality of robotsoperating in a common site. As humans remain an integral component tomany of the workflows that involve robots, there is a need for theworkflow management system to also coordinate human and robotinteractions as well as human-to-human interactions.

In summary, there is a need for a workflow management system thatmaximizes efficiency and productivity of robots, humans, and otherresources. More specifically, there is a need for the workflowmanagement system to coordinate and control interactions of the robots,humans, and other resources in a collective and holistic manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of a workflow management system (WMS) will now bedescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates the WMS directing execution of a pick-to-cartworkflow by monitoring, coordinating, and controlling different agentsand assets in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 presents a process by which the WMS optimizes the item pickingtasks of the pick-to-cart workflow in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates the WMS optimizing the order packagingtasks of the pick-to-cart workflow in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates the WMS directing execution of a pick-to-transitworkflow by monitoring, coordinating, and controlling different agentsand assets in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates the WMS optimizing the item retrieval steps of thepick-to-transit workflow through a distributed retrieval in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6 presents a process by which the WMS optimizes the item retrievaltasks for the pick-to-transit workflow by directing the item retrievalagents to the item picking agents in accordance with some embodiments

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate different WMS direction and control inoptimizing the pick-to-transit workflow by maximizing the item pick ratein accordance with some embodiments.

FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate different WMS direction and control inoptimizing the pick-to-transit workflow by maximizing the item packagingrate in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates WMS direction and control in optimizing thepick-to-transit workflow by maximizing the item pick rate and the itempackage rate in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 12 illustrates the WMS directing execution of a retrieve-then-pickworkflow by monitoring, coordinating, and controlling different agentsand assets in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 13 presents a process performed by the WMS in implementing thehybrid workflow in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 14 conceptually illustrates the hybrid workflow in accordance withsome embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A workflow management system (WMS) is provided to optimize performanceof different workflows occurring within a business or at a location suchas a warehouse or a distribution center. The WMS optimizes workflowexecution by minimizing overall execution time and maximizing executionefficiency through reduced resource usage and cost.

The WMS optimizes workflow performance by monitoring, coordinating, andcontrolling the agents and assets involved in the workflow execution.Coordination and control includes the WMS assigning tasks that directagent movements and operations relative to one another. Monitoringincludes the WMS receiving sensory and other feedback from the agents.

The agents integrated as part of the WMS and the workflow executionunder WMS monitoring, coordination, and control include humans androbots. The assets include resources used by the agents as part of theworkflow execution. Different workflows involve different combinationsof these agents and assets. For instance, the WMS may monitor,coordinate, and control robots and resource assets in performance of afirst workflow, monitor, coordinate, and control humans and resourceassets in performance of a second workflow, and monitor, coordinate, andcontrol robots, humans, and resource assets in performance of a thirdworkflow.

WMS human agents are human workers. The human workers perform differenttasks associated with one or more workflows based on task assignmentsand other instruction communicated from the WMS to the human workers. Inpreferred embodiments, the WMS communications are passed to assets, suchas network enabled devices, accessed by the human workers. Each networkenabled device has wired or wireless connectivity to the WMS. Thenetwork enabled device can be a mobile device carried by the humanworker. The mobile device can be a smartphone, tablet, or other specialpurposed device. The WMS can monitor, communicate, and coordinate thehuman worker via the mobile device. The network enabled device can alsobe a stationary device, such as a desktop computer, located at a stationor area where one or more human workers perform tasks assigned by theWMS.

WMS robot agents refer to autonomous machines that the WMS leverages inperforming different tasks associated with one or more workflows. Therobots include at least one transceiver and receiver for communicatingwith the WMS. The robots can be stationary or mobile, wherein mobilerobots include a means of locomotion whether aerial (i.e., flight) orland based (i.e., wheeled). The robots include sensors to monitor theirsurroundings and detect objects and obstacles therein. Some robotsfurther include functionality with which to interact with and manipulatetheir surroundings and objects therein. For instance, mobile robots andstationary robots may include robotic arms, cranes, or other mechanicalmeans with which to physically interact with their surroundings. The WMScan simultaneously integrate with different sets of robots forperformance of different tasks. For example, the WMS can integrate witha first set of item picking robots and a second set of item retrievalrobots. In this example, the item picking robots are specialized forpicking items from shelves or other locations, while the item retrievalrobots are specialized for transferring multiple items picked by theitem picking robots to a different location. U.S. Pat. No. 9,120,622entitled “Autonomous Order Fulfillment and Inventory Control Robots”provides examples of some robot assets that can be integrated as part ofthe WMS of some embodiments. The contents of U.S. Pat. No. 9,120,622 areincorporated herein by reference.

The human agents and robot agents may consume or access differentresource assets in performing different WMS assigned tasks. Accordingly,the WMS also monitors, coordinates, and controls the resource assets toensure that the agents have proper access to the resources when they areneeded to ensure timely completion of assigned tasks. The resourceassets can include three-dimensional space, processing power, batterypower, bins, boxes, authorized access, and other elements that theagents access or consume in performing different tasks assigned to themby the WMS.

In some embodiments, the WMS integrates with third-party systems orsupplemental systems including, for example, ordering systems orinventory databases. An integrated ordering system initiates one or moreWMS workflows by feeding customer orders to the WMS. The WMS thencoordinates and controls the agents and asset allocation in fulfillingthe customer orders in an optimal manner. The same workflows can also betriggered through manual entry of customer orders to the WMS. In someembodiments, the inventory database integrates with the WMS tofacilitate the order fulfillment by providing the WMS with a real-timequantity of ordered items as well as their locations within adistribution site. The WMS can also integrate with the inventorydatabase to update inventory counts by reducing counts for itemsdepleted as a result of fulfilling customer orders and by increasingcounts for items replenished as a result of the WMS leveraging theagents to restock the distribution site based on incoming shipments.

As noted above, the WMS coordinates and controls the agents and assetsin performance of different workflows through an optimized assignment oftasks across the agents. More specifically, the WMS distributes tasksacross the agents at different times such that the task and overallworkflow execution time is minimized, the conflicts and waiting timesamongst the agents and assets are minimized, and the overall costassociated with agent and asset usage and consumption is minimized.

The granularity of the assigned tasks varies depending on the level ofmonitoring, coordination, and control the WMS has over the agents andassets. The WMS is able to optimize more aspects of a workflow as thetask granularity increases. For instance, the WMS can perform a firstoptimization by assigning a first task to a first robot and a secondtask to a second robot by monitoring the robot positions and determiningthat the first robot can complete the first task more efficiently thanthe second robot based on their monitored positions. In this instance,the WMS defers to the first and second robots for how they go aboutexecuting the first and second tasks respectively after assignment. Withadditional granularity in the task assignment, the WMS can furtheroptimize the execution of the first and second tasks. For instance, theWMS can plot a first path for the first robot to traverse and assignother sub-tasks for the first robot to perform as part of assigning thefirst task to the first robot. In this instance, the WMS controls theexact steps performed by the first robot in completing the first task.The additional granularity can also provide the WMS control over certainassets including sensors or actuators of the robot. For instance, theWMS can interface directly with motors of a robot to reposition therobot. The WMS then interfaces with a camera or other sensor of therobot to detect the position of an item about a shelf before interfacingwith an actuator of the robot to control picking of the item with theactuator. Although these examples involve assignment of tasks to robots,the WMS can perform similar granular task assignments to human agents.For instance, the WMS can interface with a camera on a device carried bya human to monitor the human's actions before assigning tasks thatdirect the human to perform supplemental tasks. In this manner, theworkflow automation and control provided by the WMS can therefore swapusage of human and robot agents.

Through the granular task assignment, the WMS can also assign human androbot agents access to different resources assets at designated times.For instance, in assigning a task involving plotting a path for a robotto traverse, the WMS can reserve the space along the path (i.e.,resource asset) for the robot so that other robots or humans will notenter the path or create an obstacle for the robot during its traversalof the path.

In some embodiments, the WMS workflow optimization involves failovercontrol and coordination. After assigning a task to an agent, the WMScan monitor completion of the task by the agent. Should the agent notcomplete the task in an expected interval because of failures,obstructions, or other issues, the WMS can failover and assign the taskto another agent. The WMS can also allocate additional assets orredefine the task more granularly to better guide the agent incompleting the task. For example, if a human agent has difficultylocating an item in a distribution site, the WMS can allocate imageprocessing resources to assist the human in finding the item location inthe distribution site, wherein the image processing resources supplementa camera or other imaging means on a mobile device carried by the human.

In some embodiments, the WMS quantifies the optimizations by trackingperformance of the assigned tasks. The WMS monitors time to completionafter each task is assigned. The WMS can derive performance metrics fromthe monitoring and provide a dashboard with which an administrator cantrack workflow execution and efficiency. The WMS can determine if abaseline or expected level of performance is being met based on the taskmonitoring. The WMS can also determine if the task assignment improvedoverall workflow performance relative to prior assignments or priorworkflow runs. The quantifications or monitoring can be more granularlydefined depending on the workflow being performed. For instance, in adistribution site in which the workflow involves fulfilling a customerorder by retrieving items, the average amount of time to retrieve anitem based on WMS assigned tasks can be compared to the averageretrieval time realized without the WMS. As another example, the WMS cantrack the average item retrieval time using five robot agents versusfive human agents in order to determine if robot usage is more efficientand cost effective than using humans for the same tasks. Suchquantifications can account for external factors including robotdeployment costs, human salaries, robot runtime, retrieval error rates,etc.

In some embodiments, the WMS simulates task performance based onmonitored or tracked real-world performance parameters of the robotagents and/or human agents. The simulation involves assigning tasksacross a virtual set of agents and then executing the tasks in thevirtual environment albeit with the same real-world constraints facing amirrored set of actual agents and with the same limited assetavailability. The constraints include modeling the site in which thetasks are to be performed. The constraints further model movements,operations, and timings of the virtual agents to mirror those of theactual human and robot agents in performing the assigned tasks. Forinstance, the WMS may have monitored the average time for a robot agentto move a certain distance, raise to a certain height, and retrieve anitem of a specific size. These monitored values are then used tosimulate task performance in the virtual environment. As with real-worldassets, the WMS monitors performance of the tasks by the virtual agents.The WMS quantifies the task performance based on the monitoredperformance. The WMS can then identify an optimal allocation ofresources or assets for a given workflow without actual execution of thetasks with different actual resource deployments. A specific exampleinvolves simulating item retrieval based on actual customer orders andbased on a virtual mapping of the distribution site in order to identifythe most cost effective deployment of human and/or robot agents andasset allocation that results in the most efficient execution of thetasks. In other words, the WMS simulation can identify if thedistribution site needs one, two, three, or more robots in order to keepup with the order rate experienced by the distribution site. In someembodiments, the WMS provides a visualization of the simulation inreal-time or accelerated real-time. The simulation can also compute areturn-on-investment if the distribution site was to deploy the WMS. TheWMS can simulate and accurately compute the cost-per-task and comparethat with existing costs, thereby demonstrating the cost savings thatthe WMS can provide.

The figures below illustrate preferred embodiments with which the WMSmonitors, coordinates, and controls agents and assets in optimizingworkflow performance. FIG. 1 illustrates the WMS directing execution ofa pick-to-cart workflow by monitoring, coordinating, and controllingdifferent agents and assets in accordance with some embodiments.

The pick-to-cart workflow of FIG. 1 involves the WMS 105 monitoring,coordinating, and controlling a first set of agents in picking itemsassociated with one or more customer orders and placing those items indifferent carts, a second set of agents in retrieving each particularcart once some or all items associated with the customer ordersdesignated to the cart have been picked and placed to the cart, andleveraging either the second set of agents or a third set of agents tofulfill the customer orders by packaging the correct items for theorders, wherein the carts represent assets that the WMS 105 allocates tothe different agents during the workflow execution.

FIG. 1 identifies the first set of item picking agents with theencircled letter “P” reference marker, the second set of item retrievalagents with the encircled letter “R” reference marker, and the third setof order packaging agents with the encircled letter “O” referencemarker. The first, second, and third set of agents can include any mixof human agents and robots agents.

In coordinating and controlling the first set of agents, the WMS 105assigns tasks to the first set of agents that include directingdifferent agents of the first set of agents to the storage locations ofone or more items within a distribution site, wherein the storagelocations represent assets and the WMS 105 authorizes when each agent ispermitted to access each asset. The storage locations can be withinshelving or racks storing a multitude of items, on a stacked palettewith different item palettes nearby, or in a storage container or binwith a quantity of the same or different items as some examples. The WMS105 identifies the items that the first set of agents are to pick onceat the storage locations and coordinates and controls the first set ofagents in removing the items from their storage location, navigating toa correct retrieval cart, and relocating the picked item to theretrieval cart. Each cart also represents a resource asset that the WMS105 designates for items of a particular customer order. In other words,the WMS 105 permits agents picking items for the particular customerorder access to the cart designated for the particular customer orderwhile preventing agents picking items for other customer orders fromaccessing the designated cart. The WMS 105 can also allocate aparticular cart to agents retrieving items of two or more customerorders. For example, items of a first customer order may consume a smallportion of the overall cart space. Therefore, the WMS 105 may allocatethe same cart resource for picked items of at least one other customerorder.

The WMS 105 monitors the carts (i.e., assets) to determine whendifferent sets of items have been picked and placed to the correctcarts. After identifying a completed cart, the WMS 105 coordinates andcontrols relocation of the completed cart to an order fulfillmentstation by an agent from the second set of agents. In particular, theWMS authorizes the agent from the second set of agents to access thecompleted cart (while preventing other agents from doing so) and assignstasks that direct the agent to the completed cart. The WMS 105 monitorsthe agent's movements to verify that the agents arrives at the correctcart. The WMS 105 then assigns tasks that direct the agents to relocatethe cart to the order fulfillment station as another asset that the WMS105 allocates for the next stage of the order fulfillment pick-to-cartworkflow. More granular tasks can provide a first traversal path thatleads the agent to the cart and a second traversal path with which theagent transfers the cart to the order fulfillment destination.

The order packaging tasks can commence upon retrieval of a cart to anorder fulfillment destination. The WMS 105 coordinates and controls thepackaging of items from the cart that are part of the same customer byidentifying the items and quantity of items for each order and bydirecting an order packaging agent in packaging the identified items inthe identified quantities. The WMS 105 further monitors that thecustomer order is correctly packaged. An optimization related to thegrouping can include fulfilling customer orders by maximizing the numberof picked items that fit in a smallest possible package, box, orshipping container, thereby reducing the resource asset for shippingcustomer orders.

FIG. 2 presents a process 200 by which the WMS optimizes the itempicking tasks of the pick-to-cart workflow. Here, the optimizationinvolves the WMS monitoring, coordinating, and controlling taskassignment across the first set of item picking agents in order tomaximize the number of items that are picked in the shortest amount oftime using the fewest number of agents from the first set of agents. Todo so, the WMS assigns tasks across the first set of agents in a mannerthat minimizes asset conflicts as well as travel distance as the agentsgo about picking items and relocating the picked items to the differentcarts. Minimizing asset conflicts involves minimizing different agentsaccessing the same space at the same time and minimizing the amount oftime one agent waits to complete a task because another agent isperforming the same or similar task.

The process 200 commences in response to the WMS receiving (at 210) afirst customer order comprising a first set of items. As noted above,the WMS can integrate with a third party ordering system in order toreceive the first set of items. The first set of items can also bereceived through manual entry, a database, or an internal orderingsystem. In some embodiments, the receiving step occurs at regularintervals. In some other embodiments, the receiving step occurs whenevera new order identifying one or more items for picking is received.

The process monitors (at 220) each agent of the first set of agentsallocated by the WMS for item picking tasks. The monitoring at step 220may involve the WMS monitoring the position of each agent of the firstset of agents. As noted with reference to FIG. 1, the first set ofagents can include one or more item picking human workers or robots. TheWMS can continually monitor the position of the agents so that the WMStracks the agent positions at all times. The monitoring is based onwireless messaging exchanged between the WMS and the agents. Themonitoring at step 220 may also involve monitoring availability of eachagent of the first set of item picking agents. Since the WMS assignstasks to the agents, the WMS knows how many tasks each agent isperforming at any given time. The WMS can determine when individualtasks are completed by monitoring the agent movements or by messagingfrom the agents. Thus, an available agent can be one that is notcurrently assigned or performing any tasks, is assigned the fewestnumber of tasks, or is expected to complete assigned tasks before otheragents based on location and complexity of the task.

The process identifies (at 230) the location of each item of the firstset items within the distribution site. The items can be consideredresource assets that the WMS monitors and also coordinates and controlsaccess to. The item location identification is based on a mapping ofitem placements within the distribution site. In some embodiments, theWMS maintains such a mapping of all items within the distribution site.

The process also identifies (at 235) cart locations as these are yetanother resource asset of the workflow. The carts may be placed indesignated locations to allow the WMS to passively monitor theirlocations. Beacons or other transmitters may be placed on the carts orin locations where the carts are located to signal cart locations backto the WMS and thereby allow the WMS to actively monitor theirlocations. The WMS can also interface with cameras or other sensorscarried by the agents or located throughout the distribution site inorder to actively track the cart locations.

The process selects (at 240) a cart to which the items of the samecustomer order are to be retrieved based on the locations of the itemsidentified at 230 and the cart locations identified at 235. The WMSselects the cart that has sufficient storage availability for the itemsof the customer order and is closest to those items, thereby reducingthe total distance for relocating the items to the cart. In the eventthat the item locations are sufficiently scattered about thedistribution site, the WMS may select two or more carts and assignretrieval of different subsets of the set items to each cart.

The process then selects (at 245) a subset of the first set of agentsfor efficient picking of the first set of items as determined from theagent monitoring at 220 and the item location identification at 230. Theagent selection is based on which agents from the first set of agentscan pick the first set of items in the least amount of time, wherein thetiming accounts for asset availability, distance of each agent from eachof the first set of items and the selected cart, and asset conflictsarising between agents picking the first set of items and other itemsassociated with previously assigned tasks as some examples.

In some embodiments, the WMS can also factor asset functionality,capabilities, and feature set as well as item attributes in selectingthe agents at step 245. Accordingly, the selected subset of agents neednot be a uniform set of agents. For example, the WMS may assign a largeitem retrieval robot agent to retrieve a first item that is large andheavy, and a human agent to retrieve a fragile small item. As anotherexample, human agents may be better at picking small loose items,whereas robot agents may be better at picking items that are locatedabove human reach. As yet another example, a first robot agent may beconfigured to retrieve vertically stacked items in a palette, whereas asecond robot agent may be configured to retrieve horizontally stackitems on a shelf.

The process assigns (at 250) tasks across the selected subset of thefirst set of agents with a distribution resulting in the most efficientpicking of the first set of items. For example, the WMS identifies theselected item picking agent that is closest to an item and directs thatagent in picking that item.

When the WMS coordination and control is at the highest granular level,the assigned tasks direct or instruct each agent of the selected subsetof agents on the one or more items to retrieve and the item quantity toretrieve. At this level, the agents determine the individual steps tocomplete each assigned task including what assets are needed to pick theitem, the path to arrive at the item location, the manner by which toidentify the item from other items at the location, and the means withwhich to pick the item.

When the WMS coordination and control occurs at a lower granular level,the assigned tasks can direct or instruct each agent of the selectedsubset of agents of the individual steps with which to pick the items.At this level, the WMS assigned tasks can instruct an agent on theoptimal path to the item location and also reserve the space resourceassets needed to traverse the path, wherein the most optimal path is thefastest path to the item location as determined from distance to theitem location and congestion along the path. The WMS can also identifythe item to be retrieved for the agent by interfacing with cameras orother sensors of the agent assigned to pick the item and highlightingthe item in a display or otherwise directing the agent's movements tothe item location. The WMS can also control movement of an agent'sretrieval arm in picking the item and in moving the picked item to adrop off location.

As noted above, the WMS monitors (at 260) the subset of the first set ofagents to identify when all items have been or will be retrieved to adesignated cart at which time the WMS initiates cart retrieval. Inparticular, the WMS coordinates an agent from the second set of agentsto relocate the cart to an order fulfillment destination.

The WMS optimizes the cart retrieval tasks by minimizing the amount oftime a completed cart is left waiting for relocation. The coordinationand control for cart relocation is however complicated because of thebidirectional dependencies between the first set of agents performingitem picking and the second set of agents performing cart retrieval. Thesecond set of agents cannot complete the cart retrieval tasks until thefirst set of agents perform the item picking tasks. Accordingly, the WMScoordinates and controls the second set of cart retrieval agents basedon monitored activity of the first set of item picking agents. Inoptimizing the cart retrieval tasks, the WMS monitors availability ofthe second set of agents as well as their distance from a completedcart. The WMS can also account for other factors such as agent abilitiesor functionalities. For example, a first completed cart may requirerelocation by a forklift and therefore requires an agent with ability tooperate the forklift, whereas a second completed cart can be pushed by ahuman worker or robot.

To initiate cart retrieval, the WMS assigns a task that directs a cartretrieval agent in delivering a cart to a desired destination. Moregranular task assignment can include plotting the path to reach acompleted cart and reserving exclusive access to the space along thepath to the cart retrieval agent assigned with the task. The WMSmonitors that the correct cart has been retrieved as a result of thecart retrieval agent scanning the cart or an identifier of the cart andthe scan passing to the WMS. Alternatively, the WMS can interface withcameras or other sensors of the cart retrieval agent and access thecameras or other sensors to verify that the correct cart is retrieved.The WMS can then navigate the cart retrieval agent in delivering thecart to the correct destination, wherein another scan or interface tothe cameras or other sensors allows the WMS to monitor that the cart wasdelivered to a desired order fulfillment station.

Upon delivery of the cart, the WMS coordinates and controls actions ofan order packaging agent at the order fulfillment station. Inparticular, the WMS assigns order packaging tasks that guide the agentin correctly packaging the items on the retrieved cart.

FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates the WMS 305 optimizing the orderpackaging tasks of the workflow in accordance with some embodiments. TheWMS 305 presents or highlights an item 310, and optionally a quantity ofthe item, that the agent is to retrieve from the cart 320 and place in apackage 330. In some embodiments, the WMS 305 can interface with acamera or other sensor associated with the order packaging agent inorder to directly identify the item. For instance, the WMS 305 caninterface with a camera on a tablet or headset carried by a human agentor a camera of a robot agent. As shown in FIG. 3, the WMS 305 providesidentification information about the item to the order packaging agent.

The WMS 305 monitors for completion of that task. In some embodiments, ascanner or other sensor communicates back to the WMS 305 and allows theWMS 305 to detect when the correct item has been removed from the cart320 and placed in the package 330. For instance, the order packagingagent scans a barcode or takes an image of the packaged item and thescan or image passes to the WMS 305 for confirmation.

Upon completion, the WMS 305 then presents or highlights the next itemfrom the cart 320 to be placed in the package 330. The agent continuespackaging the order items in this fashion until all items associatedwith a particular order have been packaged.

The order packaging optimization provided by the WMS includes verifyingaccuracy of each package so that there are no omitted or misplaced itemsin the package. The WMS can further optimize the packaging byinstructing the agent in how to most efficiently package the items basedon the item dimensions and weight. Such optimizations reduce shippingand packaging costs, thereby minimizing asset consumption and cost.

FIG. 4 illustrates the WMS 410 directing execution of a pick-to-transitworkflow by monitoring, coordinating, and controlling different agentsand assets in accordance with some embodiments. As with the workflow ofFIG. 1, the WMS 410 coordinates and controls a first set of item pickingagents identified by the encircled letter “P” reference markers, asecond set of item retrieval agents identified by the encircled letter“R” reference markers, and a third set of order packaging agentsidentified by the encircled letter “O” reference markers.

The WMS 410 coordinates and controls the first set of item pickingagents to pick items associated with one or more customer orders fromdifferent storage locations within a distribution site. The WMS 410directs the first set of agents by assigning different item pickingtasks to the agents. The assigned tasks can include identifying one ormore items for each agent to pick with the agents determining the mostefficient means with which to pick the items. At a more granular taskdefinition, the WMS 410 can plot the path to each item that an agent isto pick, identify the location of the item in shelf, and even controlmechanical functionality of the asset in picking one or more items. Thispart of the pick-to-transit workflow of FIG. 4 is similar to thepick-to-cart workflow of FIG. 1.

However, in the pick-to-transit workflow of FIG. 4, the WMS directs theitem picking agents to directly transfer (at 420) the picked items to anitem retrieval agent from the second set of agents rather than place thepicked items in a cart. In particular, the WMS directs the item pickingagents to travel to one or more item retrieval agents beforetransferring the picked items. In some other embodiments, the WMSdirects the item retrieval agents to travel to the item picking agentsbefore the picked items are transferred. In still some otherembodiments, the WMS can coordinate and control an item retrieval agentduring a single retrieval pass to retrieve multiple items of a singlecustomer order or retrieve multiple items of different customer orders.

The WMS 410 then coordinates and controls the item retrieval agents indelivering (at 430) the picked items to one or more order packagingstations 440 or one or more conveyors 450 that lead to the one or moreorder packaging stations. The conveyors 450 allow items for customerorders to be queued. This permits the WMS 410 to use robot agents toperform the picking and retrieval at hours when human agents may not bepresent for order packaging. Upon return of the human agents, the orderswill be awaiting packaging without further picking and retrieval delay.It should be noted that the conveyors 450, like the order packagingstations 440, are assets under WMS 410 control. In particular, the WMS410 coordinates the times at which the item retrieval agents can accessthe conveyors 450 so as to minimize the wait times of the agents indropping off items at the conveyors 450.

In some embodiments, the WMS 410 optimizes the transfer of items fromthe item retrieval agents to the one or more order packaging stations440 or conveyors 450. The WMS 410 monitors the items that are retrievedby each item retrieval agent. More specifically, the WMS 410 monitorsfor the retrieval of items relating to different customer orders by asingle item retrieval agent. In such cases, the WMS 410 optimizes thetransfer of items by directing the item retrieval agent to deliver afirst set of the retrieved items belonging to a first customer order toa first order packaging station or a first conveyor leading to the firstorder packaging station, and to deliver a different second set of theretrieved items belonging to a second customer order to a second orderpackaging station or a second conveyor leading to the second orderpackaging station. The item retrieval agent can also transfer differentorder items to the same order packaging station or conveyor bypartitioning the transfer into different bundles or groups. Forinstance, the item retrieval agent can deposit a first set of itemsrelated to a first customer order in a first bundle at a conveyor, thenmove some distance down the conveyor and deposit a second set of itemsrelated to a second customer order.

The pick-to-transit workflow then involves the WMS 410 coordinating andcontrolling the third set of agents in efficiently packaging (at 460)the customer orders based on the items retrieved by the second set ofagents. While coordinating and controlling the third set of agents inpackaging the order with the retrieved items, the WMS 410 simultaneouslydirects the first set of agents in picking the next set of items anddirects the second set of agents in returning to a location from whichto retrieve the next set of items after picking by the first set ofagents. The pick-to-transit therefore continues until all orders havebeen fulfilled.

FIG. 5 illustrates the WMS 510 optimizing the item retrieval steps ofthe pick-to-transit workflow through a distributed retrieval inaccordance with some embodiments. The distributed retrieval usesdifferent item retrieval agents to group items of a common ordertogether in order to simplify the packaging of the order.

The WMS 510 monitors (at 520) different order items retrieved by firstand second item retrieval agents 530 and 540. From the monitoring at520, the WMS 510 detects that the first item retrieval agent 530 hasretrieved first and second items for a first customer order and a firstitem for a second customer order. The WMS 510 directs (at 525) the firstitem retrieval agent 530 to a first location 560 about a conveyor 550.The WMS 510 directs (at 525) the first item retrieval agent 530 to thendeposit the first and second items of the first customer order at thefirst location 560. The WMS 510 directs (at 525) the first itemretrieval agent 530 to a second location 570 further down the conveyor550. A physical or virtual order separator may separate the firstlocation 560 from the second location 570. The WMS 510 monitors thefirst item retrieval agent's 530 position and directs (at 525) the firstitem retrieval agent 530 to deposit the first item of the secondcustomer order at the second location 570.

From the monitoring at 520, the WMS 510 also detects that the seconditem retrieval agent 540 has retrieved a third item related to the firstcustomer order and a second item related to the second customer order.In similar fashion, the WMS 510 directs (at 525) the second itemretrieval agent 540 to deposit the third item of the first customerorder at the first location 560 about the conveyor 550 and the seconditem of the second customer order at the second location 570 about theconveyor 550. In some embodiments, the WMS 510 controls the conveyor 550as a resource asset or coordinates an order packaging agent to controlthe conveyor 550. In particular, the WMS 510 operates the conveyor 550so that the first bundle of items at the first location 560 relating tothe first customer order are transferred to a first order packagingstation and the second bundle of items at the second location 570 aretransferred to a second order packaging station.

This distributed retrieval of retrieved items saves time when packagingthe orders.

In particular, there is no time wasted in separating items for differentorders when packaging the different orders. The same distributedretrieval can be used when the WMS coordinates and controls the itemretrieval agents in delivering retrieved items directly to orderpackaging stations instead of the conveyor. In other words, the WMSdirects the item retrieval agents to the order packaging station wherecustomer orders including items retrieved by the agents are beingpackaged. In some embodiments, the WMS instructs an item retrieval agentto make several stops when the agent retrieves items for differentorders that are being packaged at different order packaging stations.

As noted above, the WMS may perform different optimizations to the itemretrieval tasks assigned to the item retrieval agents in performance ofthe pick-to-transit workflow. One such optimization involvescoordinating and controlling the item retrieval agents to move to thelocations of the item picking agents in order to transfer a picked itemrather than have the item picking agent move to the item retrievalagent.

FIG. 6 presents a process 600 by which the WMS optimizes the itemretrieval tasks for the pick-to-transit workflow by directing the itemretrieval agents to the item picking agents in accordance with someembodiments. Process 600 commences in response to or in parallel withassigning item picking tasks to the set of item picking agents. Theprocess monitors (at 610) each of several item retrieval agents that aredeployed within a distribution site or other operational center. Asbefore, the WMS can monitor the position of each item retrieval agent aswell as the availability of the item retrieval agents.

The process further monitors (at 620) each item picking agent assignedan item picking task. The WMS monitors the item picking agents todetermine when different items will be picked and ready for retrieval.

Based on the monitoring at 610 and 620, the process computes (at 630)time for each item retrieval agent to retrieve the different items thathave been or will be picked by an item picking agent. In someembodiments, the computation accounts for differing availability of eachitem retrieval agent, expected or actual time for item picking by theitem picking agents, distance of each item retrieval agent from eachretrieved item, and resource conflicts between item picking agentsmoving to pick next items and item retrieval agents moving to the itempicking agents. When the item retrieval agents are not a uniform set ofagents, the WMS also considers agent functionality in the computation at630. For example, some agents may be configured or limited to retrievinglarge items while other agents may be configured or limited toretrieving small items.

The process selects (at 640) a subset of the item retrieval agents thatprovide a most efficient retrieval of the picked items based on thecomputation at 630. The process then assigns (at 650) retrieval tasks tothe selected subset of item retrieval agents, wherein the assignmentminimizes travel time for the selected subset of item retrieval agentsto reach the item picking agents and further minimizes the total timethat the item picking agents have to wait before transferring the pickeditems to the item retrieval agents.

Here again, the assignment can be performed with different taskgranularity. At the highest level, the WMS can instruct a selected itemretrieval agent to retrieve a particular item from an item picking agentat the location of the item picking agent and to deliver the particularitem to a destination. At more granular levels, the WMS can directlycontrol or instruct the selected item retrieval agent with a plottedcourse to the location of the item picking agent, timing for when totraverse the plotted course, identification of a particular item toretrieve from the item picking agent, and a plotted course to thedestination.

In some embodiments, the WMS further coordinates the item transfer bymonitoring position of the item picking agent relative to the itemretrieval agent. Once the agents have correctly oriented positionsrelative to one another, the WMS assigns a task that causes the itempicking agent to transfer the picked item to the item retrieval agent.In some other embodiments, the agents communicate with one another suchthat the transfer of a picked item from the item picking agent to theitem retrieval agent is initiated by and amongst the agents withoutfurther instruction by the WMS.

The process then monitors (at 660) the item retrieval agents incompletion of the tasks. Should an error or failure arise preventing afirst item retrieval agent from completing a retrieval task, the processcan assign a different second item retrieval agent to complete the task.

A successful transfer can be followed by tasks to retrieve a next itemfrom another item picking agent or to deliver the one or more retrieveditems to an order packaging station or conveyor.

The WMS can further optimize the pick-to-transit workflow to maximizethe item pick rate based on the WMS coordination and control of the itempicking agents and the item retrieval agents. One manner with which theWMS can prioritize the item pick rate is by coordinating and controllingitem picking agents to transfer picked items to the closest itemretrieval agent regardless if items of other customer orders have alsobeen transferred to the closest item retrieval agent. In other words,the WMS maximizes item pick rate by minimizing the distance the itempicking robots of some embodiments travel in order to transfer pickeditems to an item retrieval robot of some embodiments. FIG. 7 illustratesthe WMS maximizing the item pick rate of the pick-to-transit workflowwith a first direction and control of the agents and FIG. 8 illustratesthe WMS maximizing the item pick rate of the pick-to-transit workflowwith a different second direction and control of the agents inaccordance with some embodiments.

In FIG. 7, the WMS 710 monitors (at 720) the positioning of item pickingagents. More specifically, the WMS 710 monitors the item picking tasksit assigns to the item picking agents and determines where the pickingof each item will occur.

Based on the positioning of the item picking agents, the WMS 710 thencomputes optimal positioning for the item retrieval agents that willmaximize the pick rate by reducing the total distance the item pickingagents travel in order to transfer the picked items. Accordingly, theWMS 710 directs (at 730) a first item retrieval agent 740 to a positionclosest to a first set of item picking agents and further directs asecond item retrieval agent 750 to a position closest to a second set ofitem picking agents. The WMS 710 then coordinates and controls each ofthe first set of item picking agents to transfer picked items to thefirst item retrieval agent 740 regardless of whether the picked itemsare for the same customer order or different customer orders. The WMS710 provides similar direction or instruction to cause the second set ofitem picking agents to transfer picked items to the second itemretrieval agent 750. The WMS 710 can further increase the item pickingrate by controlling the item picking agents to only pick items from asingle or nearby set of shelves.

The WMS 710 monitors which picked items the item picking agents transferto the item retrieval agents 740 and 750. The WMS 710 maps thetransferred items to different customer orders, and then determines theorder packaging station at which each order is packaged. The WMS theninstructs the item retrieval agents 740 and 750 to deliver the retrieveditems to the one or more order packaging stations.

When delivering to a single order packaging station, the WMS instructsthe item retrieval agent to wait at the order packaging station untilall retrieved items have been scanned and placed with the correct order.The WMS coordinates and controls the order packaging agent byidentifying which items retrieved by the item retrieval agent should bepackaged with which order.

In some embodiments, the order packaging agent scans a first itemdelivered by the item retrieval agent. The WMS receives the scan,identifies the scanned first item, and instructs the order packagingagent on how to package that first item. The WMS continues coordinatingand controlling the order packaging agent in this manner until all itemretrieved by the item retrieval agent have been scanned and packaged.

Alternatively, the WMS can monitor arrival of the item retrieval agentat a first order packaging station. The WMS instructs the orderpackaging agent at the first order packaging station to package a firstsubset of the retrieved items that correspond to a first customer orderfrom the item retrieval agent. In some embodiments, the WMS identifieseach item of the first set of items to allow for the order packagingagent to remove those items from the item retrieval agent similar to theoperation described with reference to FIG. 3 above. The WMS confirmsremoval and packaging of the correct item when the order packaging agentscans the item. Once the WMS monitors that all items from the firstsubset of items have been packaged, the WMS instructs the item retrievalagent to move to a second order packaging station. Again, the WMSmonitors arrival of the item retrieval agent at the second orderpackaging station before instructing the order packaging agent at thesecond order packaging station to package a different second subset ofthe retrieved items that correspond to a second customer order from theitem retrieval agent. The WMS coordinates and controls the itemretrieval agent in this manner until all retrieved items have beenpackaged at the correct order packaging station. The WMS can then directthe item retrieval agent to retrieve additional items from the itempicking agents.

In FIG. 8, the WMS 810 instructs two item retrieval agents 820 and 830to move between different item picking agents as those agents pickdifferent items. To maximize the pick rate, the WMS 810 determines thetiming and sequence with which the item picking agents pick differentitems. The WMS 810 determines the pick timing and sequence based onwhere an item picking agent is when it is assigned an item picking task,where the item picking agent must travel to in order to pick the item,the time for the item picking agent to move to the pick destination, andthe time for the item picking agent to pick the item. Based on the picktiming and sequence, the WMS 810 maximizes the item pick rate byassigning item retrieval tasks to the item retrieval agents 820 and 830in an order that minimizes the amount of time the item picking agentswait before transferring a picked item.

840 presents the WMS 810 computed pick times for different items by theitem picking agents. 850 then presents the ordered item retrieval tasksassigned by the WDM 810 to the item retrieval agents 820 and 830. As inFIG. 7, the item picking agents may transfer items of different customerorders to the same item retrieval agent. Consequently, when the itemretrieval agent delivers the picked items to one or more order packagingstations, more time will be spent separating items for different ordersthan if the item retrieval agent only retrieved items for a singleorder.

Nevertheless, the WMS may perform the optimizations of FIG. 7 or 8 inorder to prioritize the pick rate over order packaging when the averagetime to pick an item is longer than the average time to package an item.The WMS may also prioritize the pick rate when there are more orderpackaging agents than item picking agents.

In some embodiments, the WMS optimizes the pick-to-transit workflow tomaximize item package rate over the item pick rate by coordinating andcontrolling item picking agents to transfer items related to the samecustomer order to the same item retrieval agent.

FIG. 9 illustrates the WMS maximizing the item packaging rate of thepick-to-transit workflow with a first direction and control of theagents and FIG. 10 illustrates the WMS maximizing the item package rateof the pick-to-transit workflow with a different second direction andcontrol of the agents in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates two different item retrieval agents 910 and 920 andfive item picking agents. The WMS 930 designates the first itemretrieval agent 910 to accumulate items of a first customer order andthe second item retrieval agent 920 to accumulate items of a secondcustomer order. Due to the designation, the WMS 930 coordinates andcontrols each item picking agent to travel to the first item retrievalagent 910 after picking an item of the first customer order and totravel to the second item retrieval agent 920 after picking an item ofthe second customer order. The figure also illustrates paths the WMS 930assigns to the item picking agents to coordinate movements of itempicking agents so as to minimize obstacles when moving to transferpicked items to the item retrieval agents 910 and 920.

FIG. 10 is similar in that the WMS 1010 designates and controls the itemretrieval agents 1020 and 1030 to accumulate only items of a singlecustomer order. However, in FIG. 10, the item retrieval agents 1020 and1030 move to the item picking assets after the item picking agents havepicked an item for the customer order designated to the item retrievalagent 1020 or 1030. In FIG. 10, the WMS 1010 controls the item retrievalagents 1020 and 1030 to specify an optimal path with which each agent1020 and 1030 retrieves the items from the item picking agents. Theoptimal path minimizes the potential for the item retrieval agents 1020and 1030 from obstructing movement of other agents.

In either FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, once the WMS monitors that all items or asubset of items of a particular customer order have been accumulated byan item retrieval agent, the WMS assigns one or more tasks directing theitem retrieval agent to deliver the items of the particular customerorder to an order packaging destination. The WMS also coordinates andcontrols the order packaging agent at the order packaging destination topackage each of the delivered items to the same customer order. The WMSmonitors completion of the order package by receiving scans of each itemthat is packaged by the order packaging agent.

In some embodiments, two or more item retrieval agents may retrieve theitems of a single order when the single order is too large for one itemretrieval agent to retrieve or when it is more efficient to use two ormore item retrieval agents. In some such embodiments, the WMS instructsthe item retrieval agents to queue at the same order packaging stationuntil all retrieved items from the item retrieval agents have beenscanned and packaged. Thereafter, the WMS directs the item retrievalagents to retrieve additional customer order items from the item pickingagents.

The optimizations to the pick-to-transit workflow provided by FIGS. 9and 10 simplify and expedite the packaging of the customer orders as aresult of the item retrieval agent delivering items of single order. Theorder packaging agents avoid time loss associated with identifying andseparating items of different orders at the order packaging station.

The figures above involve workflow optimizations that prioritize itempicking or item packaging. FIG. 11 illustrates WMS direction and controlin optimizing the pick-to-transit workflow by maximizing the item pickrate and the item package rate in accordance with some embodiments. Asbefore, FIG. 11 identifies the item picking agents with the encircledletter “P” reference markers, the item retrieval agents with theencircled letter “R” reference markers, and the order packaging agentswith the encircled letter “O” reference markers.

At 1110 of FIG. 11, the WMS 1105 coordinates movements of the itemretrieval agents with those of the item picking agents. In particular,the WMS 1105 directs the item retrieval agents to retrieve differentpicked items from the item picking agents as those items are picked.

At 1120 of FIG. 11, the WMS 1105 directs the item retrieval agents todeliver the retrieved items to the order packaging station designatedfor the order including that picked item. The item retrieval agentsretrieving different items of the same customer order queue at an orderpackaging station while waiting for an order packaging agent to packagethe retrieved items from each item retrieval agent.

The WMS 1105 monitors the packaging at a station based on the orderpackaging agent scanning each item that is removed from a queued itemretrieval agent. From the monitoring, the WMS identifies when allretrieved items from an item retrieval agent have been removed. At 1130of FIG. 11, the WMS 1105 reassigns two item retrieval agents to retrieveadditional picked items from item picking agents that have also beenreassigned to pick additional items for customer orders.

In some embodiments, it is more efficient to perform a centralizedpicking of items rather than the distributed item picking presented inthe above workflows. In some such embodiments, the WMS does not deploythe item picking agents to the item locations in order to pick theitems. Instead, the WMS deploys a set of container retrieval agents tobring containers storing the items to the item picking agents.

This workflow is advantageous when the item picking agents arestationary or are slow in movements as compared to the containerretrieval agents. For instance, a first set of robots may excel atpicking items efficiently but may be very slow in moving from thestorage location of a first item to the storage location of a seconditem, whereas a second set of robots may excel at moving containers fromone location to another. In this environment, the WMS coordinates andcontrols the second set of robots to bring the containers to the firstset of robots rather than have the first set of robots move fromcontainer to container to pick desired items and then have the secondset of robots transfer the picked items to a packaging station. Theworkflow is also advantageous because the item picking can be performedin tandem with item packaging. The workflow for these embodiments isreferred to as a retrieve-then-pick workflow.

FIG. 12 illustrates the WMS 1205 directing execution of aretrieve-then-pick workflow by monitoring, coordinating, and controllingdifferent agents in accordance with some embodiments. In FIG. 12, thecontainer retrieval agents are identified with the encircled letter “R”reference markers and the item picking and packaging agents areidentified with the encircled letter “P” reference markers.

The WMS 1205 executes the workflow by deploying (at 1210) a first set ofcontainer retrieval agents to retrieve bins, totes, boxes, or othercontainers that store one or more units of the same or different itemsneeded to fulfill a customer order. In particular, the WMS 1205 receivesa customer order. The WMS 1205 maps the items from the customer order totheir corresponding storage locations within the distribution site. TheWMS 1205 also tracks the locations of the available container retrievalagents. Based on the retrieval agent locations and the storage locationsof the items, the WMS 1205 assigns retrieval tasks across the first setof container retrieval agents in a manner the produces a most efficientretrieval of the items. Specifically, the WMS 1205 provides eachimplicated container retrieval agent with the storage location of acontainer as well as identifying information about the container that isto be retrieved. As before, the WMS 1205 can provide identifiers orother visual identifiers about the container. The WMS 1205 can alsoaccess cameras or sensors of the container retrieval agent in order todirectly identify the position of the container about a shelf or otherarrangement. The WMS 1205 can also granularly specify the manner forretrieving the container. For instance, some containers may be pulledfrom a shelf while other containers may be stacked atop one another sothat each container is removed by lifting the topmost container.

The WMS 1205 monitors that the correct container is retrieved based onthe container retrieval agent scanning the container it retrieves andsubmitting the scan to the WMS 1205. From the scan, the WMS 1205 cantrack which containers are retrieved by which container retrievalagents. The WMS 1205 can alternatively access imaging or scanninghardware of the container retrieval agent in order to directly verifyand control the container retrieval. For example, when a robot retrievalagent is positioned at a storage location of a desired container, theWMS 1205 accesses cameras or sensors of the robot retrieval agent inorder to determine an exact position of the desired container beforetaking control and operating a robotic arm or other retrieval mechanismof the robot in retrieving the container.

The WMS 1205 assigned tasks also provide a destination for delivery ofthe container. In this figure, the WMS 1205 instructs the containerretrieval agents to deliver the containers with items of a commoncustomer order to the same order packaging station. Accordingly, thecontainer retrieval agents enter (at 1220) into a queue at the orderpackaging station upon retrieval of different containers for thecustomer order.

At the order packaging station, the WMS 1205 tracks the containerretrieval agent that is next or frontmost in the queue. Morespecifically, the WMS 1205 tracks the container retrieved by the agentthat is next or frontmost in the retrieval queue. In some embodiments,the WMS 1205 associates a retrieved container with a container retrievalagent after the agent arrives at the storage location of the retrievedcontainer and the WMS 1205 verifies the correct container is retrieved.In other words, once a container retrieval agent pulls a container froma shelf, the WMS 1205 tracks the container retrieved by that agent untilthe container is returned. In some other embodiments, the WMS 1205detects the retrieved container based on a scan of the containerprovided by the container retrieval agent or the item picking agent whenthe container is next in the queue. The WMS 1205 queries the customerorder that is being fulfilled to identify the particular item to bepicked from the container and the quantity of the particular item to bepicked.

The WMS 1205 then coordinates and controls one or more item pickingagents at the order packaging station to fulfill the customer order bypicking and packaging the appropriate quantities of ordered items fromthe retrieved container at the front of the queue. In some embodiments,the WMS 1205 provides the item picking agent with visual identifiers ofthe particular item, such as images, barcodes, graphics, etc.

In coordinating and controlling the item picking agent, the WMS 1205monitors the quantity of the particular item retrieved from thecontainer by the item picking agent. The item picking agent may scan orotherwise image each and every picked item so that the WMS 1205 cantrack the picking and also verify that the correct item in the correctquantity is picked. For example, a human worker scans each item pickedfrom the container with the scan immediately transferring to the WMS1205 for verification. Alternatively, the WMS 1205 can access cameras orother sensors at the order packaging station in order to directly detecteach item that is picked from a container.

The WMS 1205 continually updates the coordination and control of theitem picking agent based on the monitoring. In some embodiments, the WMS1205 updates the instructions it sends to the item picking agent. Inresponse to picking a correct item, the WMS 1205 can instruct the itempicking agent on grouping or packaging the item with other items of thesame order. The WMS 1205 can also update the count of remaining items topick from the current container. Once the WMS 1205 has confirmed thatthe correct quantity of items from a particular container have beenpicked, the WMS 1205 directs (at 1230) the item retrieval agent toreturn the container to its original storage location within thedistribution site or enter a queue at a different order packagingdestination when the items within the retrieved container are specifiedas part of a different customer order. Alternatively, the WMS 1205 candirect the item retrieval agent to return the container to a new storagelocation within the distribution site that optimizes subsequentretrievals of the container. In some such embodiments, the WMS 1205determines the new storage location based on demand for the items in thecontainer, remaining inventory in the container, or available shelfspace. The WMS 1205 also directs the queued retrieval agents to move upso that the item picking agent can pick the items from the nextretrieved container.

The WMS 1205 continues the retrieve-then-pick workflow until the itemsfrom each container retrieved by a queued container retrieval agent hasbeen processed and the customer order has been fulfilled. The WMS 1205can then reassign the container retrieval agents in retrieving anddelivering a different set of containers to a second order packagingstation and assign the item picking agents at the second order packagingstation in picking items in order to fulfill a different customer order.It should be apparent that FIG. 12 illustrates the WMS 1205 coordinatingand controlling one set of container retrieval agents and an itempicking agent at one order packaging station in fulfillment of a singlecustomer order. In some embodiments, the WMS 1205 simultaneouslycoordinates and controls different sets of container retrieval agentsand item picking agents at different order packaging stations in orderto simultaneously fulfill multiple orders.

The retrieve-then-pick workflow can also be performed in reverse torestock inventory. In some such embodiments, the WMS detects newlyreceived item inventory that is awaiting restocking at one or morerestocking stations. The WMS identifies the containers throughout thedistribution site that store the inventory items and the storagelocations for those containers. New containers may be identified foritems that were not previously part of the inventory. The WMS thendirects the set of the container retrieval agents in retrieving theidentified containers from the identified storage locations. Thecontainer retrieval agents deliver the containers to the designatedrestocking stations where the newly inventory is received. As before,the WMS monitors correct retrieval of the containers based on sensoryinput obtained from the container retrieval agents.

The WMS detects delivery of a particular container to a restockingstation by monitoring the movements and actions of the containerretrieval agents. The WMS identifies the one or more items to be storedin the particular container. The WMS then instructs an item pickingagent at the restocking station with identifying information about theitem to be restocked in the particular container and, optionally, aquantity of the item.

The item picking agent scans each unit of the item that is placed in theparticular container. The scans are relayed back to the WMS. The WMSupdates in real-time the number of units that is now in stock or theinventory database where such data is stored. When the desired quantityis restocked or the all new inventory has been placed in the particularcontainer, the WMS directs the container retrieval agent to return theparticular container to a storage location within the distribution site.

Some embodiments implement a hybrid workflow that incorporates aspectsof the pick-to-cart workflow and the retrieve-then-pick workflow. FIG.13 presents a process 1300 performed by the WMS in implementing thehybrid workflow in accordance with some embodiments. The process 1300commences with the WMS receiving (at 1310) one or more customer orders.Each customer order specifies one or more items.

The process optimizes (at 1320) the sequence of the customer orders. Theoptimization can be based on several objectives including, for example,minimizing the total work for the retrieval agents and item pickingagents, minimizing the average latency for all orders, minimizing themaximum latency for any individual order, etc. The optimization is basedin part on the positioning and availability of the different agents aswell as the positioning of the items of the customer orders. Theoptimization attempts to contemporaneously fulfill orders that includecommon items or items that are positioned next to one another within adistribution site so as to minimize the number and time of the agentsneeded to fulfill the orders.

The process directs or controls (at 1330) a set of retrieval agents inretrieving the customer order objects from bulk storage to a “pickwall”. The customer order objects include containers, bins, or totespositioned on racks distributed about the bulk storage when one or moreitems of the customer orders are grouped or stored within thecontainers, bins, or totes. The customer order objects can also includethe individual customer order items when the items are separatelypackaged or stored in bulk storage outside of a container. Accordingly,the direction or control at step 1330 involves the retrieval agentsretrieving either a container storing multiple units of an item or anitem (that is not stored in a container) from the bulk storage to thepick wall. The bulk storage refers to the larger distribution site orwarehouse housing the entire item inventory. In some embodiments, thepick wall comprises ergonomic shelving holding a fixed number ofobjects. In summary, the bulk storage is where all item inventory isstored and the pick wall is used to aggregate the objects of one or morecustomer orders awaiting fulfillment.

The direction at 1330 involves the WMS identifying the one or moreobjects to be transferred to the pick wall, identifying the location ofthe objects, identifying the location of the pick wall, and assigningtasks or controlling the set of container retrieval in transferring theobjects from bulk storage to the pick wall. When a retrieval agentplaces an object on the pick wall, the agent scans the object and/or thelocation of the object about the pick wall. The information is passedback to the WMS. The WMS tracks the objects currently on the pick walland their locations based on the information provided by the retrievalagents.

Should the pick wall already include objects used to fulfill previousorders, the WMS clears space for objects of unfulfilled customer ordersby directing the set of retrieval agents in returning one or moreobjects that are no longer needed back into bulk storage. In someembodiments, the WMS monitors a retrieval agent transferring a newobject to the pick wall and then directs that retrieval agent inreturning a different object already on the pick wall back into bulkstorage.

In some embodiments, the WMS directs or controls the agents in removingfrom the pick wall and returning into bulk storage, objects notspecified as part of any current customer orders being fulfilled. TheWMS can also employ replacement algorithms to determine the objects toremove from the pick wall and return back into bulk storage. In someembodiments, the WMS monitors the least recently used objects, the mostfrequently used objects, or secondary or subsequent retrievals from thesame object or container in order to select which objects to retain onthe pick wall and which ones to remove from the pick wall and return tobulk storage. Still more complex algorithms based on the optimizationobjectives at step 1320, predictive analytics, pattern recognition, ormachine learning (based on historical trends, social media feeds, andother external data feeds) can be used by the WMS in determining theobjects to remove from the pick wall and return back into bulk storage.For instance, the WMS may predict that a customer order involving firstand second items will frequently add a third item. Accordingly, the WMSmay retain on the pick wall or retrieve to the pick wall, the containerstoring the third item in anticipation of the customer order adding thethird item. More generally, the predictive analytics or patternrecognition performed by the WMS tracks customer order seasonality,sequence, and frequency, item order seasonality, sequence, andfrequency, and commonality of items ordered by the same customer anddifferent customers and uses the tracked analytics to optimize the pickwall. For example, the WMS tracks a particular item that is frequentlyordered by multiple customers on Friday for receipt before the start ofthe next week. Accordingly, before the start of Friday orderfulfillment, the WMS directs a retrieval agent to place the containerstoring the particular item on the pick wall and the WMS retains thecontainer on the pick wall throughout the Friday order fulfillmentcycle.

Contemporaneous with the direction of the retrieval agents in populatingthe pick wall with objects from bulk storage, the process also involvesthe WMS directing or controlling (at 1340) a set of item picking agentsin picking individual items of the customer orders from the pick wall inorder to fulfill those orders. Based on the information relayed from theretrieval agents to the WMS, the WMS can notify the item picking agentswhen and where certain objects are available at the pick wall. The WMScan granularly assign tasks that direct or control the sequence withwhich the item picking agents pick items from the pick wall.

The pick wall effectively acts as a morphing container cache. The cacheprovides the item picking agents access to all objects within thedistribution site as they are needed from a single location that hasspace for a limited subset of all objects at any give time. The cacheeliminates the need for the item picking agents to travel within thedistribution site while allowing multiple item picking agents access tothe same cached set of objects. The pick wall differs from the packagingstation described above in that objects for different customer orderscan be placed on the pick wall and that two or more item picking agentscan access the pick wall in order to fulfill the same or differentcustomer orders contemporaneously by picking items from the cachedobjects.

An example is now given to illustrate the hybrid workflow. The WMS tasksa particular item picking agent with fulfillment of a particularcustomer order. The particular customer order specifies four differentitems that are normally found in four different containers dispersed indifferent areas of the distribution site. The hybrid workflow describedas part of FIG. 13 allows the particular item picking agent to move onlyabout the pick wall to access the four containers and pick and packagethe items of the particular customer order therefrom.

It should be noted that certain items (e.g., large items) are not storedin any containers, and are instead directly stored on the distributionsite racks. For such items, the retrieval agents can directly transferthe item to the pick wall and the item picking agent will subsequentlytransfer the item into a package for the corresponding customer order.

FIG. 14 conceptually illustrates the hybrid workflow in accordance withsome embodiments. The workflow and the agents illustrated therein areunder direction or control of the WMS. The figure illustrates receivedcustomer orders at 1410 and the WMS optimizing the order sequence at1420.

At 1430, the WMS assigns the tasks directing or controlling theretrieval agents in transferring the containers storing the items forthe current set of customer orders to the pick wall. 1440 illustratesthe execution of the container retrieval tasks and the containers beingtransferred to the pick wall by the retrieval agents.

At 1450, the WMS contemporaneously assigns the tasks directing orcontrolling the item picking agent in fulfilling the customer order. Theassigned tasks cause the item picking agents to pick the correspondingorder items from the pick wall and package the items for shipment at1460.

As with the retrieve-then-pick workflow, the hybrid workflow of FIGS. 13and 14 can also be performed in reverse to restock inventory. In somesuch embodiments, cases of new or replenished items are received by theitem picking agents. The item picking agents then transfer the items tothe correct container about the pick wall. For new items, any emptycontainer on the pick wall can be used. For replenished items, the itempicking agent adds to the container that stores the current depletedinventory or adds to an empty container that is then stored alongsideother containers storing the same items.

The WMS monitors the item picking agents to determine when new orreplenished items have been placed into the correct containers and thecontainers are full or there is no additional inventory to add. The WMSthen directs or controls the retrieval agents in transferring thecontainers from the pick wall back into bulk storage until the items areonce again needed to fulfill a customer order.

As noted above, the WMS provides additional functionality in addition tocoordinating and controlling agents in executing one or more workflows.In some embodiments, the WMS provides failover and statisticalperformance for the workflow based on the monitoring.

The WMS initiates failover in response to assigning a task to an agent,monitoring the agent in performance of the task, and determining fromthe monitoring that the agent has not completed the task within anexpected interval or has reported an error. In such cases, the WMSassigns the task to a different agent, dispatches a troubleshootingadministrator to diagnose and correct the failure, or redefines the taskfor the agent with more granularity or with an alternative set ofoperations with which the agent can complete the task.

The agent monitoring further allows the WMS to track performance andefficiency of the overall system. In some embodiments, the WMS derives aset of performance metrics based on the efficiency with which the agentscomplete assigned tasks. In embodiments that use the WMS for orderfulfillment, the WMS can quantify the average number of items picked perunit of time, the average number of items packaged per unit of time, theaverage number of orders fulfilled per unit of time, and the cost peritem pick or order fulfillment based on the monitoring of the agents. Inso doing, the WMS enables alternate billing models including, forexample, billing a customer based on the number of items picked orpackaged by the agents on a periodic basis.

The performance metrics can be used to scale the deployment of agentsunder WMS control. For instance, if the order fulfillment rate is lessthan an expected order intake rate, the WMS can deploy additional agentsto ramp up the picking, retrieval, and packaging of items. Similarly, ifthe agents are performing faster than the incoming rate of orders, theWMS can deallocate certain agents, thereby lowering the operational costof the WMS. The WMS can thereby control, optimize, and predict costs asdemand fluctuates.

The monitoring is also a mechanism by which the WMS optimizes theworkflows. The WMS can record movements and timing of each of the agentsin performance of the tasks assigned by the WMS. The WMS can adjustcertain assigned tasks and replay the movements and timing with theadjusted tasks to determine if the tasks could be performed moreefficiently. The same recorded movements and timing can be used tosimulate workflow performance with any agent deployment in any mappedenvironment. In particular, the WMS can record the speed with whichhuman and robot agents perform certain tasks. The WMS can playbackexecution of any arbitrary allocation of tasks by any deployment ofagents in any new environment to determine expected performance.

The simulation can be visual. In some embodiments, the simulationillustrates the virtual execution of assigned tasks by some deploymentof virtual agents in the mapped environment, wherein the virtual agentsexecute the tasks according to the recorded real-world performanceparameters.

The WMS is a system formed by the WMS deployed agents and one or moredirectors. The directors are special purposed machines with networkconnectivity, processors that generate and optimize task assignments asnew orders are received, and memory for tracking the agents, monitoringorder fulfillment, mapping a distribution site including the assetstherein, and tracking item inventory in some embodiments. The directorsare communicably coupled to the agents through wireless and wirednetwork connectivity. The WMS directors maintain network connectionswith the robot agents. The WMS directors maintain network connectionswith network enabled devices carried by, on, or near human agents.Through these network connections, the directors automate and optimizethe workflow execution by deploying, instructing, and directing theagents as described above. The directors also remotely monitor theagents as part of optimizing, verifying, and providing failover duringworkflow execution.

The directors include processors that generate and optimize taskassignments as new orders are received. The directors further includememory for tracking the agents, monitoring order fulfillment, mapping adistribution site including item storage locations, and tracking iteminventory in some embodiments.

The different levels of control granularity allow automation to occur atthe director level, at the agent level, or some combination of both. Thedirectors can directly access sensors on devices carried by humanworkers or sensors of the robots in order to monitor position, verifypicking, retrieval, and packaging operations, assist in navigation, andassist in item or container identification, picking, and retrieval. Forexample, if the human wears an augmented reality headset with one ormore cameras, the directors can see what the human sees. Similarly, thedirectors can access actuators, motors, and other mechanical aspects ofthe robots in order to directly perform or control the picking,retrieval, packaging, and any other operation.

Although the workflows are executed in a distributed fashion by theagents, some embodiments centralized the coordination and control at thedirectors. The centralized coordination and control allows the directorsto have a holistic accounting of the agent availability. As a result,the directors can better manage and optimize the allocation anddeployment of the agents in performance of different tasks. Thedirectors can even reallocate an item picking agent as an item retrievalagent and vice versa if there is excess of one set of agents andshortage of another set.

The directors can also actively or passively connect with resourceassets. For example, the directors can maintain active connections withassets such as security doors, shelves, conveyors, etc. in order todirectly access and control these assets. The directors can start aconveyor when items of one order have been bundled and move the bundleof items to a particular order packaging station before halting theconveyor. Other assets, such as three-dimensional space, are indirectlyunder director control. By coordinating access of the human and robotagents to the resources, the directors effectively control access tothese assets as well.

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims thatfollow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded inan illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

1. A method for optimizing operations of a plurality of robots forincreased order fulfillment, the method comprising: communicablycoupling a set of robots and a set of packaging agents to a workflowmanagement system, wherein each robot of the set of robots comprises atleast a motorized base, a camera, a mechanical retrieval arm, and abattery powering said motorized base, camera, and mechanical objectretriever; receiving a plurality of customer orders at the workflowmanagement system, wherein the plurality of customer orders involve aplurality of objects from a plurality of storage shelves distributedthroughout a distribution site; transferring the plurality of objectsfrom the plurality of storage shelves to a destination with the set ofrobots based on said communicably coupling providing the set of robotscoordinated instruction from the workflow management system, whereinsaid transferring comprises: (i) deploying different robots of the setof robots contemporaneously to different storage shelves of theplurality of storage shelves distributed throughout the distributionsite based on motorized movement from the motorized base of the robots;(ii) identifying at least one object from the plurality of objects ateach particular storage shelf of the different storage shelves using thecamera of a robot deployed to the particular storage shelf; (iii)retrieving the at least one object from the particular storage shelfwith the mechanical retrieval arm of the robot deployed to theparticular storage shelf; and (iv) depositing the plurality of objectsfrom the set of robots to the destination based on each robot of the setof robots returning to the destination after said retrieving; andproviding from the workflow management system to at least one packagingagent of the set of packaging agents at the destination, notification ofa subset of the set of robots having deposited a first set of theplurality of objects containing a first set of items of a particularcustomer order at the destination in response to the workflow managementsystem tracking the subset of robots based on said communicably couplingto the set of robots and the workflow management system messaging the atleast one packaging agent based on said communicably coupling to the setof packaging agents; picking with the at least one packaging agent inresponse to said providing, the first set of items from the first set ofobjects at the destination, wherein said picking comprises controllingmovements of the at least one packaging agent based on identifiersprovided by the workflow management system through said communicablycoupling, wherein said identifiers differentiate the first set ofobjects from other objects of the plurality of objects at thedestination.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination is acommon rack comprising multiple levels of storage, the method furthercomprising monitoring a location at which each robot of the set ofrobots deposits an object of the plurality of objects at the commonrack, and wherein said identifiers correspond to locations of the firstset of objects at the common rack as determined from said monitoring. 3.The method of claim 1 further comprising scanning each item of the firstset of items picked by the at least one packaging agent, sending aplurality of scans obtained from said scanning from the at least onepackaging agent to the workflow management system based on saidcommunicably coupling, and confirming picking of a correct quantityspecified as part of the particular customer order based on theplurality of scans obtained at the workflow management system from saidscanning and said sending.
 4. The method of claim 1 further comprisingmonitoring a position of each robot of the set of robots, and whereinsaid transferring comprises commencing picking of a particular item ofthe particular customer order with the at least one packaging agent inresponse to detecting from said monitoring, arrival of a particularrobot at the destination, wherein the particular robot transfers aparticular object comprising the particular item to the destination. 5.The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting at the workflowmanagement system, (i) a location of each storage shelf of the pluralityof storage shelves containing each object of the plurality of objectsand (ii) a position of each robot of the set of robots based on saidcommunicably coupling, wherein said transferring comprises assigningfrom the workflow management system, tasks instructing each robot inwhich object from the plurality of objects to transfer based on saiddetecting the location of each storage shelf and said detecting theposition of each robot.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein saidtransferring comprises controlling movement of the set of robots at theworkflow management system by setting (i) a first path with which aparticular robot moves from a current location to the storage shelfcontaining a particular object in the distribution site and (ii) asecond path with which the particular robot transfers the particularobject from the storage shelf to the destination.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein said transferring comprises verifying at the workflowmanagement system, retrieval of a correct object by a particular robotof the set of robots based on a scan of the object the particular robotobtains and sends to the workflow management system.
 8. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising (i) tracking usage of the plurality ofobjects at the destination with the workflow management systemmonitoring said picking and (ii) controlling via the workflow managementsystem, the set of robots in returning at least one object from thedestination to an original storage shelf within the distribution sitebased on said tracking.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprisingincreasing a rate of fulfilling the plurality of customer orders inresponse to said tracking and monitoring availability and positioning ofthe set of robots with the workflow management system, wherein saidincreasing comprises modifying the workflow management system (i)selection of which robots transfer or return objects of the plurality ofobjects and (ii) ordering with which the set of robots perform saidtransferring of the plurality of objects and said returning the at leastone object.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising (i) receivingat the workflow management system, a new customer order comprising afirst object not of the plurality of objects and not at the destinationand (ii) directing based on the workflow management system detecting theat least one destination to be full, at least one robot of the set ofrobots in removing a second object of the plurality of objects from thedestination and entering the first object in a position of the secondobject at the destination.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprisingselecting the second object for removal from the destination in responseto (i) monitoring said picking with the workflow management system and(ii) detecting that the second object omits items specified as part ofremaining customer orders of the plurality of customer orders based onsaid monitoring. 12.-20. (canceled)